Bridge
by ReiraKurenai
Summary: AU. When Karin married Sasuke, she thought everything would be perfect. However, things are from from perfect - after all, all relationships have bridges to cross.


_Bridge_

The sky was dark, all stars hidden behind a large blanket of clouds. The chirping sounds of crickets echoed through the silent street. Several houses were lit up with warm light, families were perched in front of the television set, laughing and smiling together, the chilly air outside forgotten.

One woman stared out the window of her kitchen, her red eyes as distant and cold as snow. Her lips were dry, her skin was in horrid condition and her glasses needed to be replaced. She shivered and pulled on her purple cardigan, wishing that _he_ would just come home already.

The silent street suddenly became disturbed when a car turned around the corner. The engine roared angrily as it turned into the lonely driveway. He switched the engine off, grabbed the keys and stepped out into the chilly winter air. A pair of onyx eyes landed on his house. _Dark. _His house was as dark as the pitch black night. No warm lights were shining, no family was in front of the television. There was no laughter, no happiness.

Uchiha Sasuke sighed, pulled his fingers through his hair, then approached the front door. He entered the house as silently as possible. The inside was just as dark, the only light coming from the laundry at the back of the house. The loud roar of the washing machine was all he could hear.

"Karin?" Sasuke called out hesitantly. A few seconds of silence followed, then she appeared in the doorway that led to the main bedroom. She was wearing an old pair of shorts, a white tank top and a purple cardigan. Goosebumps were present on her pale skin and her red nail polish was wearing off. She looked like a mess.

"I'm going to say this once, Sasuke," Karin whispered, "if you leave, I will fucking kill you."

Sasuke sighed. He knew this was coming. Sasuke pulled off his shoes, tossed into a corner and walked towards the living room.

"Don't think you can run away from this!" Karin yelled, "Where were you?"

Sasuke stopped by the doorway of the living room, he looked at his wife over his shoulder, "I was working."

"Don't fuck with me, Sasuke," Karin snapped, "it's already eight...you work until five!"

Sasuke sighed and turned around. He leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. Their eyes met and a deathly stare session began. The aura around them was thick and dark.

"I'm tired Karin," Sasuke stated, "I had to get a drink."

Karin snorted and stomped over towards him. She came to a halt a few centimeters away from him. She looked up at him with a fierce glare, showing that his height did not intimidate her, that he was not going to dominate her in this fight.

"What...until eight? What's that supposed to mean?" Karin demanded, "Are you saying you need to...to drink to be married to me?"

Sasuke shook his head, "I am so fucking tired of this. All you do is demand and nag and want. Can't I for once fucking do something for myself?"

Karin inhaled deeply, then spat in Sasuke's face, he did not wince, "Fuck you, Sasuke! You know what? Fuck this. Go shit yourself for all I care. Oh and don't come crying to me when you get a boner! I'm sure that there's plenty of women prepared to help you!"

Karin turned around and stomped away.

"I didn't ask for this, Karin! You selfish bitch!" Sasuke yelled back.

"Fuck you!"

Sasuke groaned and stomped to the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him and sighed a deep sigh of frustration. He glanced around him, surprised by how dirty the bathroom was. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo bottles and various other things were scattered all over the sink, the floor and the surface areas. Karin used to clean the house on a daily basis, due to her dislike of dirt – yet lately she's been slacking off. It was unusual for her to slack off. Sasuke's eyes softened.

He failed to notice the used pregnancy test next to the sink.

* * *

><p>Karin stood before the window in the bedroom that looked out into the backyard. The flowers she planted earlier in the year with Sasuke was growing beautifully. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks as she imagined herself planting those flowers with the love of her life again.<p>

The emotion became too much to bear. Karin burst into a fit of tears, her sobs grew exceptionally loud and she buried her face in her hands. Her shoulder shook as she cried, cried and cried out all the pain she has been suffering from. For several minutes Karin cried in front of the window, until her stomach growled loudly. Karin looked down, then smiled to herself.

She patted her stomach, "I'm sorry, little one – let's get some food."

Karin silently approached the kitchen, hoping not to arouse Sasuke's attention. The light was turned off, so she had a feeling that Sasuke would not be in the kitchen. Sighing in relief Karin opened the fridge and grabbed a Tupperware with some leftovers of the dinner she ate alone the previous night. She stared at the tomato ratatouille before popping it into the microwave. She had made it specially for Sasuke – but he never showed up to even kiss her goodnight.

With more tears flowing down her cheeks as the food heated up, Karin wished she could turn back time.

After eating the ratatouille in silence, Karin decided to do the dishes. She stared at her hands absently as she swirled the water and sponge over the plates. The very same hands were the hands that took hold of Sasuke. It was the same hands that accepted him as her husband. They were once beautiful, now they were old and withered.

After she was finished with the dishes, Karin organized the wardrobe. She shuffled through the clothes and organized them neatly. Her hand brushed over something soft and silky. Karin frowned and quickly pushed hangers out of the way and found her wedding dress. Her eyes widened. How could she have forgotten about it? She brushed her fingers over it and bit her lip. She needed to find a plastic cover for it, and soon before the dress became dirty and withered. She didn't want to lose it. It was the only thing other than photos that reminded her of that beautiful day she shared with Sasuke.

With teary eyes, Karin opened the drawer of the table beside the bed and pulled out the old photo album of their wedding. Karin ran her fingers over the writing, then she made herself comfortable on the bed and opened it.

She laughed, she cried and she cursed as she flipped through the pages. Sasuke looked so handsome, so regal and elegant in his tuxedo and she looked so beautiful in her dress. Like a princess. There were photos of Naruto giving Sasuke a noogie, of Ino giving Karin a bear hug and Fugaku patting his son's shoulder. There was a photo of the two newly weds cutting the cake, the two dancing together and sharing a kiss.

Karin dropped the album as another fit of tears overwhelmed her. She shook violently as the tears fell and stained the photos of her past.

* * *

><p>Sasuke was bored. The bathroom was not very entertaining, but it was the only room that could possibly keep him concealed and away from Karin. Sitting on the toilet, Sasuke was counting his fingers over and over again.<p>

By the hundredth time of counting fingers, Sasuke was annoyed. He stood up and let out a frustrated sigh. He climbed into the bathtub and started to play pirate, but after a minutes he grew tired of it and stopped.

Next, he decided to investigate the clutter around the bathroom. He picked up a used tube of toothpaste and scrunched his nose in disgust when dry toothpaste oozed out from it. Shaking his head, Sasuke tossed the old tube into the bin. Next, he went through Karin's make-up box. She had far too much eyeliner he noted. She needed more lipstick – he liked it when her lips were as red as tomatoes...or cherries.

Sasuke opened the cupboard and inhaled the smell of clean towels. At least the towels were clean, which means Karin hasn't completely slacked off. Sasuke reached out and patted the towels. He had to admit...he was worried about her. She hasn't been acting the same lately. And he wasn't talking about the fighting either.

Sasuke collapsed against the cupboard next to the sink and closed his eyes. He missed the old days, where love was what drove him. Where Karin was the world and where everything was perfect. He knew that relationships weren't always steamy and hot and that eventually things seem to die down, but in their case it seemed worse. Thy have completely driven apart.

Sasuke hit head against the cupboard, causing something long and slender to hit him on the head and fall on the floor before him. Sasuke groaned in pain and looked down at the item that fell. He blinked, his jaw slack and then his eyes widened. He picked up the small item and grasped it between his fingers. He stared at the single word that somehow slapped him in the face.

In a flash, Sasuke was on his feet. He tossed the pregnancy test on the floor and slouched to the door. He grasped the doorknob and glanced over his shoulder at the bathroom that has somehow kept him entertained for more than an hour.

Sasuke burst out laughing.

* * *

><p>Karin was sitting in the dark living room, her legs were frozen into blocks and her eyes were red, sore and puffy from crying. Resting on her lap was her old teddy bear from when she was a child. It was the only thing that could comfort her, even in the darkest of times.<p>

She heard movement behind her, but did not bother to turn around. She knew it was Sasuke. He was probably heading to bed. She wasn't going to go to bed with him. She was going to sleep on the couch.

"Karin," Sasuke's voice was but a whisper, but she heard him. She did not turn around, she continued to stare at the dark wall, hoping Sasuke would get the message and leave her alone. Sasuke sighed and moved around the couch and sat beside her. Karin couldn't help it, she had to glance at him from the corner of her eye. So she did.

He was smiling. _Smiling! _She felt anger boil inside of her. How could he be laughing when their marriage was doomed? When things are going so downhill that it could be the end of them? She quickly looked away from him, regretting that she even dared to do so.

"Karin," Sasuke whispered as he reached out to her and tucked a strand of her dirty hair behind her hair, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Karin asked, disgusted, "Sorry doesn't even cover it!"

Sasuke pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. Karin struggled against him, but his grip was tight and he wasn't planning to let go anytime soon.

"Let me go Sasuke!" Karin bellowed.

"No!" Sasuke yelled back, "I will not let you go. Not now, not ever!"

Karin stopped struggling and went limp in his arms. She sniffed, hoping to keep more tears at bay. She buried her face in Sasuke's chest and hesitantly wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Karin mumbled into his chest, "I'm sorry."

Sasuke stroked her red hair, "Shhh."

The two sat there in their embrace for several minutes. Karin silently sobbed into her husband's chest while Sasuke stroked her hair affectionately. To someone who was unaware of their problem, it would have looked like a normal act of love, but to them it was much more. It was the first time they had touched in weeks.

Sasuke finally broke the silence, "You're pregnant."

Karin stiffened and pulled away so that she could look into his eyes. His onyx eyes were watching her seriously, but the smile was still on his lips. She opened her mouth to ask how he knew, but then she remembered that she had failed to discard the pregnancy test before. He saw it! She found a blush creep to her cheeks.

"Yes," she finally mumbled. Sasuke caressed her cheek and let his lips linger on her forehead. Karin could not believe how the situation has turned around. Earlier they were ready to pull each other apart – now they were acting all lovey dovey like nothing happened at all!

"How far ahead are you?" Sasuke asked.

"Eight weeks," Karin replied.

Sasuke's hand moved from her cheek down to her stomach where he patted gently. Karin watched him silently.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you smiling?" Karin asked.

Sasuke's smile widened, "Because I'm going to be a father. I'm happy, Karin. Truly I am. I'm sorry for acting like such a dick...I truly am. I won't drink anymore and I'll come straight home, alright? But that means you have to stop being so bitchy all the time...it drives me nuts."

Karin huffed, "I don't act bitchy!"

Sasuke shook his head and placed a finger on Karin's lips to silence her, "See what I mean? I want this marriage to work Karin – I love you, but I guess along the way we somehow fell out of love."

Karin laced her fingers with Sasuke's and closed her eyes, "You're right. Your mother warned us about his – how the love somehow dies down. I also want this to work, Sasuke. I'll try to stop being bitchy, but I can't promise anything for the next nine months. My hormones will be out of tune."

Sasuke chuckled and planted a gentle kiss on his wife's lips. He pulled away and the two smiled at each other.

"Oh, please don't mind me," a third voice suddenly interrupted, "I totally don't live here."

The two snapped their heads to the doorway, where a woman with dark hair, looking half-asleep stood, looking smug. Sasuke and Karin blushed.

"Did you hear us?" Karin asked.

"Fuck no," the woman yawned, "your yelling was so loud I totally did not hear. Be grateful Itachi is a heavy sleeper – or you both would be dead."

The couple sweat dropped.

"So," the woman smiled, "I'm going to be an aunt, am I?"

Sasuke glanced at Karin, who suddenly looked nervous. Sasuke squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. Karin smirked. The two turned to face their sister-in-law and nodded.

The woman smiled and turned around, "Congratulations. I'll leave you to have make-up sex now."

Karin's eyebrow twitched, "We're not like you and Itachi!"

The couple was met by dying laughter.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just a little idea that popped into my head. Itachi's wife (shown in the end) is my OC also featured in my one-shot; '_The Dark Star_'.**

**I am not affiliated with the creators and producers of Naruto in any way. No profit is made from writing this.**


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